1 D o you indeed in silence speak righteousness, O you mighty ones? Do you judge fairly and uprightly, O you sons of men?

Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

2 N o, in your heart you devise wickedness; you deal out in the land the violence of your hands.

No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

3 T he ungodly are perverse and estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

4 T heir poison is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf adder or asp that stops its ear,

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,

5 W hich listens not to the voice of charmers or of the enchanter never casting spells so cunningly.

Which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.

6 B reak their teeth, O God, in their mouths; break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.

Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

7 L et them melt away as water which runs on apace; when he aims his arrows, let them be as if they were headless or split apart.

Let them flow away as waters which run continually; When he bends his bow, Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.

8 L et them be as a snail dissolving slime as it passes on or as a festering sore which wastes away, like a woman gives untimely birth that has not seen the sun.

Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

9 B efore your pots can feel the thorns, He will take them away as with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.

Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath.

10 T he righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

11 M en will say, Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God Who judges on the earth.

So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”